Month: November 2011

BEING from Miltown Malbay, Meelick manager Pat O’Rourke saw the Shams in action many times on Hennessy Memorial Park – that’s why he was prepared for what happened at the end when the former kingpins of Clare football kept plugging away and nearly ambushed his team.

“Kilrush were always to come at us,” he said drawing breath at the end, just after their seemingly unassailable seven-point lead had been chopped to the bare minimum. “They are a strong senior club and I new they would keep going. We just got over the line and that’s all that mattered.

“We missed easy scores in the first half and if you don’t take those scores you’re going to be in trouble. We knew we were good enough if we played to our potential and I think we did. Apart from missing handy scores we really did ourselves justice today,” he added.

And, that went for the year as a whole, a window into which O’Rourke introduced anyone who was listening as the junior championship trophy was being presented to captain Kevin Harnett. “We have been training since last February,” he revealed, “and between league and championship we have lost two games all year. So we had a lot of work put in. Today was the big one for us, the one we wanted to win.

“From now on everything else is a bonus. We will look forward to playing Munster Club. Any Kerry or Cork team that you play are going to be good. All we can do is go out and do our best to do the county proud,” he added. Meelick v Dr omid Pea r ses @ Meelick, Sunday 2pm Refer ee – Richa r d Moloney (Limer ick)

Meelick 0-11 – Kilrush Shamrocks 2-04 at Pairc Finne. Corofin

DON’T let the scoreline fool you. With only a point in it, Meelick were left hanging on for all their worth when the game rolled into the sixth minute of injury time.

The south east Clare side eventually stumbled over the line – had they actually contrived to lose, it would have been football’s equivalent of the injustice perpetrated again Captain Alfred Dreyfus himself.

The Frenchman was exiled to Devil’s Island in the wrong – Meelick would have been exiled in the island of junior football for another year at least, something that would have been very rough justice indeed, given their mastery over the hour.

This was particularly evident in the second half when they hit seven points to move 0-11 to 0-4 clear by the 50th minute. It was a cruise with county panellists Kevin and Barry Harnett pulling the strings in a Meelick side that had more football, better fitness and the legs on a slew of rotund Shams that looked a forlorn and beaten docket for much of the second half.

But looks were deceiving as a David O’Shea penalty in the 59th minute teed up a dramatic finale. Suddenly Meelick were rattled, while their worst nightmare then threatened to unfold when another Shams onslaught yielded a second goal in the fifth minute of injury time from Cian Murray when he blasted to the net from 14 yards. Suddenly it was back to the minimum.

That this nightmare passed a minute later was down Michael Fitzgerald’s final whistle, but ultimately because Meelick had done enough in the first 59 minutes to book their place in the intermediate ranks for the first time.

They had dominated both halves, starting the better with points on five and eight minutes from influential centre-forward Pat Finucane, even if their failure to turn possession into scores eventually allowed the Shams gain a foothold when they opened their account when John Kelly pointed a 23rd minute free.

Meelick bounced back with another Finucane point from play in the 27th minute, only for the Shams to respond almost immediately when David O’Shea and Calum Bond teed up Sean Naughton for a fine point as this decider finally came to life. This raise in standard was then completed in injury time when Gary Moloney placed Andy White for a point to give Meelick a 0-4 to 0-2 interval lead.

Alas, the quality in the second half was lopsided, with Meelick effectively winning the title when hitting four points without reply in the opening 12 minutes as they moved 0-8 to 0-2 clear.

All came from play as Kevin Harnett (2), Niall Mullen and Gary Moloney put a rampant Meelick side on their way. All the Shams could muster in the first 20 minutes were points from Cian Murray and Sean Madigan that left them seven adrift after two more Kevin Harnett points from frees and one from play by Oisín Hickey suggested a predictable finale.

It was far from that, of course, when Michael Murray was pulled down for the penalty that David O’Shea drove home. Then Cian Murray’s strike brought the Shams back from the brink and Meelick to the edge of the abyss.

Justice was served when the unthinkable didn’t happen – that Meelick survived and the Shams came up short.

Shams would admit that themselves.

Inagh 1-13 – An Rinn (Waterford) 1-02 at Bansha, County Tipperary

ONLY A fortnight after securing the county intermediate title, Inagh added a Munster Junior crown after a superior second half performance over Waterford side Ann Rinn on Saturday afternoon. Played in Bansha under strong winter sunshine, An Rinn from the Gaeltacht area of Waterford had the aid of a stiff breeze in the opening half, however it was Inagh’s Fiona Lafferty who opened the scoring with a pointed free inside the opening minute of play.

An Rinn’s response was both immediate and significant as having won possession of their own puckout, Deirdre ni Fhathaigh gathered possession out on the wing and dropped her shot into the Inagh square where Brid McCarthy batted it out but it was Lorraine ní Fhaoleán who got to the dropping sliotar first and sent her effort past McCarthy.

However, aided by the confidence from their county title win, Inagh didn’t panic and hit back with another point on the board after Patricia O’Loughlin sent a shot from midfield down the wing and Helen Hehir managed to draw the sliotar out from the ruck and put her shot over from an awkward angle.

Ni Fhathaigh pointed from a free to put the Waterford side back in front by two points and both sides were guilty of wides in the next few minutes, more from an inability to cope with the strong breeze than erratic shooting. Inagh ended that drought when Lafferty sent a long range free down to the square and it was Hehir who gathered and sent Inagh in front with her well struck goal. Lethal front pair, Lafferty and Hehir added three more points for Inagh while Fiona ni Mhuiríosa converted a free for Ann to give Inagh a four point lead at half-time at 1-6 to 1-2.

Now with the wind and sun to their advantage, the clare champions upped the tempo in the second half, with four points in three min- utes through Fiona Lafferty (3) and Patricia O’Loughlin (1) easing them into an eight point lead by the 40th minute. Inagh kept An Rinn scoreless in the second half, despite the best efforts of Eimear ni Fhionnalaigh and Líse ni Priondgrais but up against a strong Inagh backline of Jennifer Griffen, Siobhan Lafferty and Gillian Lafferty, An Rinn were continuously thwarted as they tried hard to get another goal on the board. Inagh kept kept up the pressure and with a further three points before the finish, strolled to a facile 11 point win. Munster Council Chairman Ea- mon Browne presented the trophy to captain Sinead O’Loughlin who will hope to lead her side to a third successive title as they enter the All-Ireland series in a fortnight’s time. First up for the Munster winners are the Connaught champions in the All-Ireland semi-final as they look to emulate Corofin by reaching the national junior decider.

Éir e Óg v Ba llydu ff (Ker r y) @ Aust in St ack Pa r k, Tr a lee, Sunday 2pm (Pat Ca sey, Wat er for d) AFTER finally winning the intermediate title just over a week ago, Éire Óg will get their first taste of senior competitive action this Sunday when taking on the Kerry Senior Hurling Champions Ballyduff. Expectations were that it would be a much fancied Courcey Rovers that the Ennis side would be facing, a game that would also have given the Clare champions home advantage but instead a late rally of three unanswered points on Sunday ensured that it was Ballyduff who prevailed by 1-14 to 0-15.

Central to that victory were Ballyduff’s sizeable county senior contingent, five of which played against Clare in Division 2 of the National League back in March. The three Boyle’s, Michael (County Captain), Liam and Aidan along with wingback Padraig O’Grady and midfielder Paud Costello were all part of that 6-23 to 1-18 contest while four more of Sunday’s team, Eric O’Connor, Pat Joe Connolly, David Goulding and Padraig Boyle also played against Clare in the opening round of this year’s Munster minor championship.

Therefore, the Kerry champions have plenty of experience when you consider that only Shane O’Donnell represented Éire Óg on either occasion. Horses for courses you might argue, with the competition for places far different in Clare than in Kerry but equally big match experience is big match experience when it comes down to it whether you are winning or losing.

While last Sunday’s quarter-final was Ballyduff and indeed, Kerry’s first win in the competition, it was a breakthrough that has been coming for the past number of years as the standard of Kerry hurling has improved immensely.

Éire Óg will be wary of all the potential pitfalls but after getting the monkey of an intermediate title off their backs, they can afford to play with a little more freedom and less burden on their shoulders.

The Townies have nothing to lose and everything to gain as they may never get a better chance of capturing provincial silverware. Clare have had a decent pedigree in this competition over the last five years and Éire Óg have more than enough quality to match the achievements of Clooney/ Quin, Clonlara and Broadford who last reached the final in 2008. It will be close but if Éire Óg can match Ballyduff’s doggedness and utilise their extra quality up front, they might just get over what looks to be the toughest opposition in the competition. Verdict: Éíre Óg

Newmarket-on-Fergus 2-18 – Kilmaley 0-09 at Clarecastle

MOMENTUM was undoubtedly the deciding factor for Newmarket as they emphatically maintained their late season push for honours. With a Senior B title already in the bag, the hunt for a first Clare Cup title in 37 years take precedence as the Blues bid to finish the year on a high and add to the Junior A and C adult crowns.

They were unquestionably the more sharper side on display on Saturday following their successful Senior B campaign to put a ringrusty Kilmaley to the sword without little fuss. Kilmaley’s pre-Halloween nightmare was fueled by their contrasting inactivity over the past five weeks since their disappointing exit from the championship at the quarterfinal stage. It dictated a slow start against the conditions for Kilmaley who found themselves ten points in arrears before they finally found the target in the 19th minute.

Newmarket’s well-oiled machine hit the ground running from the outset, with David Barrett (5) and Colin Ryan (3) doing the bulk of the damage while there were also two inspitational long range points from centre-back James McInerney to lift their supporters.

Kilmaley craved a spark and by bringing back full-forward’s Colin Lynch and Niall McGuane around the centre, they finally got a foothold in the game. Ken Kennedy (2) and Diarmuid McMahon settled them with points, only to be put back on their heels when Colin Ryan converted four more of his own to give his side a 0-14 to 0-03 advantage deep into injury-time.

However, Kilmaley’s afternoon was turned on its head before the break when Diarmuid McMahon earned his side a penalty. Scoring it would have given them a much needed boost going in at half-time, with the wind to come but instead they were to suffer a double whammy as Daire Keane’s penalty went wide and in the resulting heated discourse, Diarmuid McMahon was dismissed for striking. No way back surely for Kilmaley but in truth, with Colin Lynch and Daire Keane to the fore, they refused to throw in the towel on the turnover. Both sides would only score six more times apiece in an increasingly dreary winter backdrop but decisively, two of Newmarket’s scores were goals for Colin Ryan and Sean O’Connor, a minute either side of the turn for the final quarter. Kilmaley earned a second penalty that was saved but there was never any doubt about the result that earned the Newmarket Blues a Clare Cup final place for the second consecutive year.

Minor A Cha mpionship Fina l Sixmilebr idge v Ba llyea @ Cusack Pa r k or Cla r eca st le, Sat ur day 3pm IT MAY be the most inevitable final pairing since the movie Gladiator but it is also the decider that the most neutrals would have wished for from the outset as these kingpins of the championship finally face off.

However, with great expectations also comes great pressure and in such a 50-50 contest, whichever side can overcome the inevitable nerves that will accompany this final should also take the honours. For Ballyea, this is perhaps the club’s best ever chance to garner the top prize in underage hurling as this team have been building towards this day for some years. Equally however, while Sixmilebridge’s pedigree in this competition is far superior, the fact that they have lost the last three deciders will be a cause for anxiety. It wasn’t just about losing those finals, it was more about losing them as overwhelming favourites to underdogs Inagh/Kilnamona, Kilmaley and Newmarket, all of whom had succumbed to the ‘Bridge earlier in the competition.

Perhaps the fact that Ballyea will enter Saturday’s decider as favourites will suit the ‘Bridge more this time around. Ballyea took the hon- ours in the group stages by 2-15 to 1-11 back in August but as the Under 16 championship proved when strong favourites Clarecastle beat the ‘Bridge early on, only to be caught by the same opposition in the semifinal, group losses mean very little in underage hurling.

This final is also noteworthy for the number of county minors on show, with a large chunk of Clare’s Munster minor winning panel in action on Saturday. Ballyea’s contingent consisted of Jack Browne, Gearoid O’Connell, Niall Deasy and captain Tony Kelly but the ‘Bridge was also well represented by Jamie Shanahan, Seadna Morey, Alan Mulready and Brian Carey.

Such potential star quality makes for a thrilling final that could easily go either way. The loss of Martin O’Leary, who also played in the Minor Division 1 football final recently, to injury is a massive blow to Ballyea but in Tony Kelly, they possess the best player in the championship and one with the undoubted ability to win a game on his own No better occasion then to demonstrate that prowess than in his club’s most important decider since 2003 and in such an inch-tight contest, it could well be the the decided edge. Verdict: Ballyea

Cla r e Cup Fina l I na gh /Kilna mona v Newma r ket -on-Fer gus @ O’Ga r ney Pa r k, Sixmilebr idge, Sunday 2pm HISTORY beckons for either Inagh/ Kilnamona and Newmarket-on-Fer gus on Sunday. For Inagh/Kilnamona, who began their journey as a permanent senior amalgamation only three years ago, it is a massive leap forward after reaching their first ever league final.

However, winning on Sunday would be historic for Newmarket too as the most successful side in the competition’s history with 21 titles look to bridge a 37 year gap to their last Clare Cup crown. Historic as well because none of the present squad were even born when the Blues saw off east Clare amalgamation Brian Borus in 1974.

While championship success had continued to elude the Blues, it would have been easy for them to down tools two months back after exiting the title race at the group stages for the first time in seven years. Howev- er, they refused to throw in the towel and after securing a senior B title just over a week ago, they are back in a second successive Clare Cup final, determined to finish the job this time around.

They were well in control of last year’s decider as well until Niall Gilligan almost singlehandedly snatched the title from under their noses but with Colin Ryan in top scoring form, aided by David Barrett who grabbed six points at the weekend, and county senior James McInerney anchoring the defence, they will be difficult to stop.

That said, if anything, Inagh/Kilnamona have proved to be one of the most difficult sides to shake off this year. They always possessed the attacking power, with Ger and Niall Arthur and Conor Tierney to the fore but they have also tightened up considerably at the back with Brian Glynn and Dermot Lynch in particular shining this year. In this competi- tion alone, they have displayed a new stubborn never-say-die attitude in drawing with Crusheen and Clonlara in the knock-out stages before winning out both replays.

They are also the only side to have beaten Newmarket-on-Fergus in this competition all year after their opening round 1-15 to 1-12 victory on away soil, with county champions Crusheen the only other team to have got the better of the Blues in competitive action in 2011.

That will certainly give the Combo optimism ahead of the final but equally, it provides ample ammunition for Newmarket’s motivation and guards against any complacency that might have crept in following their recent impressive run.

Stopping the Blues from entering into their stride early on will be key for Inagh/Kilnamona on Sunday as in the last three games, they have been able to build up significant leads before their opponents finally settled. They were 2-2 to no score up against the Mills after only seven minutes in the Senior B semi-final, scored the first six points of the game against Clarecastle in the final and on Saturday, were 0-10 to 0-0 clear of Kilma- ley before they opened their account in the 19th minute.

A similar start on this occasion could effectively finish the game before it even starts as it is a young Inagh/Kilnamona side that crave the brighter start to settle their inevitable nerves.

For all of Inagh/Kilnamona’s considerable progress this year, it is still difficult to look beyond Newmarket for the title, even taking into account their nervy displays in recent big finals. They are the team in unstoppable form, have buckets of big game experience and certainly won’t lack motivation as they bid to banish the lengthy hoodoo that has plagued them over the last 30 years.

Win this and they can follow in Sixmilebridge’s footstep by building for a championship assault but if Inagh/Kilnamona can match them for the opening 40 minutes, it could be the Combo who will look longingly towards the future. Verdict: Newma rket-on-Fergus

ON SATURDAY, November 12, the new Clare Juvenile Basketball League for Under 14 girls will tip off in St Flannan’s gym.

Seven clubs will compete from Kilrush to St Colman’s (Gort) and Abbey Lakers (Quin) in the first of many underage blitzes that will take place throughout the county for the coming season.

The boy’s Under 14 tournament will take place in Ennistymon on Saturday, November 26. There has been a lot of basketball development in the county over the past number of years, especially in the Marion Keane primary schools tournament so this new campaign will give children the opportunity to continue playing basketball as they get older.

The committee has proposed that clubs with teams under 12 should organise friendlies on a home and away basis until the Christmas break so that the kids get to learn more and enjoy the fun and social aspect of basketball.

This is a very exciting time for basketball in Clare and the committee hope that the community will benefit greatly from this new initiative. Clare Sports Partnership has helped and supported the setting up of the league and this should see a dramatic rise in the amount of players, spectators, and public interest in basketball around the County.

In the coming weeks, the league will run a coaching and referee’s course for people interested in getting involved in the sport.

Anybody looking for further information can contact Clare Sports Partnership, or ring Stephen on 0862170688. or email, rivoleigh@eircom.net

Clondegad 0-13 – Corofin 1-07 at Hennessy Memorial Park, Miltown

THESE two have history at intermediate level over the past few years, but also at junior level this term after their tussles in league and championship. Corofin won the league decider, but it was Clondegad’s time in this penultimate round replay as they powered away from the men from the Burren in extra-time.

Clondegad scored a late equaliser through Dermot Gavin the first day – on this day it was Colm Quinlivan who struck late to bring a gripping encounter to extra-time, after which the men from the estuary restricted Corofin to a point, while adding four of their own to book a final berth against Clonlara.

It was Corofin who forced the pace early on, with veteran Colm Clancy goaling in the third minute. Clondegad did claw their way back into it with points from Charlie McCarthy on 13 minutes, Colm Quinlivan six minutes later and then Barry Coffey in the 22 minutes, while both sides could thank their keepers Kenneth Breen (Clondegad) and Paul Moroney (Corofin) for brilliant saves in 17th and 21st minutes respectively.

Clondegad hit the front for the first time with a point from Dermot Gavin after 27 minutes before Colm Clancy hit two either side of a great effort from Declan Keane which left the sides deadlocked at the break Corofin 1-2 Clondegad 0-5.

The Colms, Quinlivan and Clancy swopped points by the 39th minute before two more from Clancy by the 42nd minute put Corofin 1-5 to 0-6 clear. A point from Jason O’Connor at the three quarter-stage edged Corofin three clear and seemingly on their way to the decider, but Clondegad’s resolve never faded and a hattrick of points via two Colm Quinlivan frees either side of an effort from play by Ray Flannery brought the game to extra-time.

Clondegad had the bit between their teeth now and although Corofin opened the scoring in extra time thanks to Gearóid Kelly after four minutes, it proved to be their final score. The sides were level 1-7 to 0-10 at half-time in extra-time after Ray Flannery pointed in eighth minute, but then on the turnover three-ina-row from Colm Quinlivan, wingback David Sheehan and sub Rory Longe guided them into the decider.

They’re 60 minutes from an intermediate/junior double – the greatest year in the club’s history.

Clondegad